Deep-fried cheese with cranberries

Very satisfying, even for a carnivore:-) This recipe has been my favourite for some time.

For 2 people you will need:

2 Camembert-like cheeses (I got great results with German organic 29% Camembert by Andechser Natur)
1 egg – beaten
sesame seeds
frying oil (e.g. rape-seed oil, sunflower oil)
dried cranberries
breadcrumbs or chickpea flower
Make a 3-4 cm cut into the side of your cheese and without making a bigger opening, try to slide the knife carefully inside to make a space for the cranberries. The point is to do as little damage as possible, not cutting through to the other side, but making a “pocket” with a small opening. Use a butter knife to push the cranberries further inside when filling it. When breading the cheese, it is important to seal the opening well, so your cheese does not come out during the deep-frying.

I usually dip the cut part into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs, repeat the process, and only then coat the whole cheese in egg, then breadcrumbs. I do a second layer too, but this time I add sesame seeds into my breadcrumbs. Once I had no breadcrumbs, so I used chickpea flower instead. Worked like a charm:-)

For the deepfrying I use a small pot that I fill with enough oil so that half of the cheese is immersed. Heat the oil and when it starts getting hot, test with a bit of bread or some breadcrumbs – if they start sizzling and brown within seconds, then it is hot enough. The right temperature is 180C. When the first half is golden brown, turn the cheese using two wooden spoons or some other tools, but be careful not to pierce it.

When both sides are done, take it out and put on some kitchen paper to get the excess oil out.

I serve these with potato mash and crushed cranberries/red currant with a bit of sugar, or some nice salad. Enjoy!

The salad I have in the picture is just 2 finely grated carrots, a bit of desiccated coconut, some chopped mandarines, dried cranberries and rosehip flour. You can also use a pinch of cinnamon. Mix everything together.